The Saturday Paper
PostJuly 16, 2026
US strikes key Iranian island

US strikes key Iranian island

The United States military said it has launched air strikes on Iran’s defence and missile sites located on Greater Tunb Island, in what marks the...

Homepage — July 11 – 17, 2026

POLITICS

David Pocock

The government’s secretive AI threat to creatives

“Last year, Minister for the Arts Tony Burke said, ‘We have no plans, no intention, no appetite to be weakening those copyright laws.’ … Australian journalists, musicians, artists, authors and other creatives took the government at their word. That’s why it’s so alarming that the government was actively considering a proposal that would sell out the work of Australian storytellers for multinational tech companies to train their AI models.”

POLITICS

Paul Bongiorno

Ballistics and an explosive podcast steal Albanese’s thunder

“Panic in the Prime Minister’s Office ahead of Anthony Albanese’s departure for Fiji and Solomon Islands led to a terse but unequivocal apology for off-colour remarks he made about Australian pop idol Kylie Minogue. The worry on Monday was that the growing controversy over the comments in a podcast interview could swamp the signing of what is only Australia’s fourth defence treaty in Suva later that day.”

POLITICS

John Hewson

Labor must back themselves on tough gambling reform

“Government intervention to address the significant economic and social impacts of gambling addiction, particularly on our children, is both justified and essential. The consequences of addiction are now well understood: the debt, the shame, the broken families, the suicides. In terms of money, Australian gamblers lose some $31.5 billion each year – the highest per capita in the world.”

Editorial

A house cat in a draught

Giving a major speech at The Sydney Institute is a little like sneezing into a matchbox but only if the matchbox is empty and no one is around. This is the forum in which Angus Taylor chose to articulate his first proper riposte to Pauline Hanson and the rise of One Nation.
LETTERS

Smoking gun

Words matter. The climate crisis is described variously as climate change, global warming and global heating, but the root cause of the crisis is known to all except dogmatic deniers. It is the use of fossil fuels in the past and in the present. We a…

Clear vote

Daylight is the best disinfectant. Politicians saying one thing in parliament and doing another is not new, but it is getting worse. While it is possible on state and federal parliamentary websites to search out how individual politicians each voted …

Read Communications in The Week
Communications

“I’m not going to apologise for doing my job.”

 

— Sarah Henderson

The shadow minister for communications defends calling triple-O unnecessarily during the Telstra outage this week. She didn’t get through to anyone, which is how you know it’s Liberal Party rhetoric.

Read Protest in The Week
Protest

“Patiently waiting for my PB and J sandwich.”

— Jack Gibson-Burrell

The graffiti artist known for Pam the Bird makes demands of police after scaling Bolte Bridge in Melbourne. He also asked for a glass of milk.

Read Statesmanship in The Week
Statesmanship

“I apologise unequivocally for the comments.”

— Anthony Albanese

The prime minister apologises after agreeing that he would “shag, marry, date” Kylie Minogue. In fairness, people have been complaining about his lack of ambition.

Read Business in The Week
Business

“Recent personal media attention is creating an unnecessary distraction.”

— Richard White

The billionaire founder of WiseTech resigns as chairman of the company. His appetite for euphemism is almost as great as his appetite for sex with former employees.

Read Immigration in The Week
Immigration

“Had a fascinating time chatting to one of the bravest lady’s on the planet.”

— Tommy Robinson

The far-right neo-fascist sits down with Pauline Hanson for a podcast interview. He’s a staunch defender of English, just not its grammar.

Read Power in The Week
Power

“We share a focus on deepening and diversifying the relationship between our countries…”

— Anthony Albanese

The prime minister celebrates a deal to sell uranium to India, after earlier shipments were halted over concerns the uranium could be used in weapons. Both countries insist the deal is about peace.

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